Scripture reading: 1 John 3:1-3.

Sermon text: Revelation 7:9-17.

“If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Sir Isaac Newton

None of us can claim we came to believe in Jesus on our own, with no help from anyone. Believers wrote the Scriptures as inspired by the Holy Spirit; other believers preserved the Scriptures through wars, exile, and the collapse of civilizations. Believers preached the gospel to us, and the Holy Spirit convicted us of our sins and our need to believe in Jesus and His resurrection.

Today at New Hope and throughout the world, the Church celebrates All Saints Day. For Protestants, All Saints Day holds a different meaning from believers in the Roman Catholic Church, who celebrates only the saints as designated by Rome on this day. (All other believers who have died in the faith are celebrated on the Feast Day of All Souls.) Protestants believe that all believers have proceeded directly into heaven, primarily based on passages such as the sermon text today. In today’s text, St. John describes a worship celebration that includes believers of all ages and all nations. This innumerable multitude reminds us of the catholicity of the Church, both in time and in space.

St. John’s magnificent vision, recorded in chapter 7 of the Revelation, reinforces the chief themes of the book. We see two primary themes in the book, both of which play a role in the sermon text today.

First, we see the theme of worship. For the duration of our existence, humans have worshiped something greater than themselves. While David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1), St. Paul reminded his readers of the reality: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). In the Revelation, St. John saw worship as it will happen and will last for eternity.

We also see the theme of God’s sovereignty. St. John heard the multitude cry, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” The multitude of believers in heaven understood and proclaimed the truth of salvation: None of us has done anything to deserve God’s love for us. However, in His love, God planned for our salvation “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). The God “who sits on the throne” sacrificed Jesus, “the Lamb,” to restore the relationship Adam broke when he disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

Some people want to focus on the exclusivity of God’s sovereignty in salvation, claiming that God will save very few people in history. St. John’s vision disproves this notion. In His love for us, God will save a great multitude that no one could number.” Nor will the saved come from only a few tribes or nations; St. John saw believers “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). Not everyone will confess Jesus as Lord, but innumerable numbers will.

The worship St. John experienced includes more than believers. Angels, the “elders,” and the “four living creatures” joined in the worship. These worshipers cried out, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” When you consider the song of the angels, elders, and creatures, you see how everything in all creation owes God worship for His care for us.

God blesses us day by day, moment by moment. All glory belongs to God for all He has done; He pays attention to every detail in creation, fine tuning everything in the universe for our existence (Colossians 1:16-17). God’s wisdom helps us live righteous lives, and He promises wisdom to everyone who asks (James 1:5). We owe God thanksgiving for all He does for us. God deserves our honor as our Sovereign Lord. God demonstrates His power and might in creation and in His care for His people. God’s might has destroyed nations, confused generals, obliterated armies, and preserved Israel for millennia. God deserves our worship.

Following this song, one of the elders asked St. John a rhetorical question: “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” This question would lead to the explanation that ties in with All Saints Day.

The elder explained to St. John, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.” I know that most of us believe that a “Great Tribulation” will come at the end of time. So do I. However, the Church has always existed in some form of tribulation, beginning with our origins in the Roman Empire. Kings have tried to stamp out the faith; heretics have tried to co-opt it or taint it; other religions have tried to eliminate it. The Church marches on in spite of the attempts of the enemy to stop us. Some nations today say they’ll never allow a church in their borders, but they can’t stop the will of God, who desires that members of every nation will worship God in eternity.

The elder continued: “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” When we are born again by our faith, the blood of Jesus “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Those cleansed by the blood of Christ will enjoy the very presence of God for all eternity: “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.” The Psalmist wrote, “a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10). God will shelter them with his presence;” those who suffer peril and persecution for their faith in Jesus in this life will never suffer again. “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.” Christians have often suffered deprivation as they fled persecution, but they have also suffered when catastrophes struck those around them.

Then, the elder tells St. John the reason for their blessing: “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water.” David wrote in Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd… He leads me beside still waters” (Psalm 23:1-2). Lastly, those in God’s presence will never again suffer sorrow, because “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

I’ll have to admit that these promises mean a great deal more to me this year, and especially today. Our state lost over 240 people on 27 April in a tornado outbreak; we lost over 50 people here in Tuscaloosa. Here in our church, at least 5 of our families have suffered death this year. We commemorated 2 funerals in less than a week back in February. Three of our members have lost sons. We cooked our first brotherhood breakfast yesterday without one of our dearest members of the brotherhood crew. Also yesterday, I learned that one of my friends back home in Walker County died of cancer Friday. I’ll admit that I remember few years like this one.

In years like this 2011, I need to know those I loved have received the protection and blessing of God for all eternity. I also need to remember that those I’ve lost have joined the “cloud of witnesses,” the Communion of Saints who worship around the throne (Hebrews 12:1). Their faith has been made sight; their joy has been made complete by the grace of the God they faithfully served in this life.

I take comfort in God’s care for those I love, but I must also remember, as must we all, that I have work to do. Yes, God could spread His gospel any way He chooses, but He has chosen to include us in His work to spread the gospel. We must proclaim Jesus’ death, resurrection, and return to a world currently suffering death with no hope of eternal life. As Christians, at least we know we will live forever with those who die in the hope of the resurrection. We need to bring this comfort to those who need the salvation of God, salvation He alone can provide through our witness.

If you’re reading this, I know you’ve lost someone to death. You’re not alone. God keeps those we’ve lost close to His heart, around His throne, in His constant care. We’ll see them again; we’ll join them in eternal relationship with a loving God whose Son died for our salvation and rose again to assure our victory over death.

I’ll close with the final verses of “For All the Saints,” written by William How in the nineteenth century:

“O blest communion, fellowship divine!

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;

yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

“And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,

steals on the ear the distant triumph song,

and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

“From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast,

through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,

singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:

Alleluia, Alleluia!”